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Is REO Speedwagon Going Country?

by Anne Erickson,posted Nov 8 2012 2:41PM

Are the guys of REO Speedwagon going country? Strange as it may sound, it appears REO are trading in their classic rock sounds for something with a tad more twang. According to The Tennessean, the band recently took a trip to Nashville to record the first song for the group’s upcoming studio album. REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin even co-wrote the track, called “Nothing We Can't Rise Above,” with country-music producer Chris Lindsey and Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain.

“I got turned on by this title, and Jon Cain had written something in a political way, and when I heard it, I went to a different place with it,” Cronin said about the song. “I tend to like to write about relationships [and what makes them] work or fall apart, so that's the direction the song took.”

Cronin says he felt totally comfortable in the Nashville scene. After all, he recorded his first album with REO in Nashville in 1972. “Kids with loud music coming to Nashville didn’t make a lot of sense back then,” he said, “but I've always loved Nashville. As a songwriter, this is my home away from home.”